


I Care (But Do You?)

by royallyunsociable



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Aged up Max, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Crushes, Living Together, M/M, Roommates, Teacher David (Camp Camp), Teen Max (Camp Camp), max is 17
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-06
Updated: 2019-04-06
Packaged: 2020-01-05 11:14:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18364883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/royallyunsociable/pseuds/royallyunsociable
Summary: David was just about to start preparing dinner for himself when there was a knock on the door. He put down the pot in his hand and made his way over to answer it, wondering who had come to see him. When he opened it, his eyes widened in surprise. Stood outside his door was Max, one of his former students.The story where Max gets kicked out of his house and, reluctantly, goes to David for help.





	I Care (But Do You?)

David was just about to start preparing dinner for himself when there was a knock on the door. He put down the pot in his hand and made his way over to answer it, wondering who had come to see him. When he opened it, his eyes widened in surprise. Stood outside his door was Max, one of his former students.

 

In his beginning years of teaching elementary school students, David met one of the most interesting yet most infuriating kids he’d ever known. His name was Max and he was a 9 year old in the first fourth grade class he'd ever taught. Max would cause quite the trouble, always stirring up some kind of mischief and he was almost never obedient. Whenever David told Max to do something, he’d do the opposite out of spite. He’d never known a kid who was so intelligent and aware of his surroundings, but so deeply uncooperative.

 

What must have been fate kept them together for the two years that followed. David was transferred up to teaching fifth graders and had Max in his class again and the year after, he was transferred to teaching sixth graders, that boy still in his roster. He'd only seen him once since then, two years ago, an incident that he remembers rather vividly. But there Max was now, much more grown than he remembered, but still the same old kid except for a few details. He was taller, as expected; the top of his head was just above David's shoulder. His hair was longer and messy and he'd grown into a few of his other features, though he was a little lanky. He was right in front of him...standing in his doorway. Why?

 

“Max!” David smiled, confused, but genuinely happy to see him nonetheless. “What are you doing here?” Max's eyes didn't meet his and no reply came from his mouth, so David stepped aside. “Come on in. I'll get you a drink.” He closed the door and left to the kitchen just as Max stepped into his apartment. He took out one of his favorite mugs, one with a picture of a bear family at a campfire, and filled it with apple juice. He hoped Max still drank juice.

 

David walked back to the living room and Max was sitting down on the couch with a duffle bag on his lap that he hadn't remembered him carrying. “What's that?” He asked, handing Max the cup. Max accepted the cup and took a small sip before looking up from his duffle. His eyes were red and poofy with prominent dark circles beneath them. David looked at him, concerned, and reached out for the boy's shoulder. “Max?”

 

“My parents kicked me out,” he spoke quickly. When David's hand touched his shoulders, he shrugged it off and held onto his cup tighter. He looked shaken and lost as he sat on the couch. “I didn't have anywhere to go.”

 

“I'm sorry, Max. I...” David sat down next to Max, leaving a little space between them. He didn't know what to say. “What about Neil or Nikki? You three seemed close back then.”

 

“Neil skipped a grade, went to college early, and Nikki lives five states away.”

 

“Oh...” David deflated. “Your parents, they couldn't have _meant_ what-”

 

“I told you before, David. My parents don't care about me!” Max raised his voice now, looking directly at him. “They never have and they never will. This just proves it.” He sighed, his voice hush. “Trust me, I don't want to be here, but I don't have anywhere to go and I don't want to go back to them, so I came here. If you don't want me here then just tell me to fuck off and I'll leave, but...” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Can I stay?”

 

“Of course you can,” David assured him. A bad feeling filled his heart, one that he hated and tried to avoid, but he couldn't just leave Max on his own. The boy was right. He had told him so many times when he was younger, but David just thought that it surely couldn't be true. He thought maybe his parents were just busy people or didn't show affection as much as others. He didn't want to think there were other parents so similar to his own, ones who bordered between apathetic and resentful of their child.

 

David put his arm around Max's shoulders and pulled him into a side hug from where they were sitting. Max tensed up, but didn't completely remove himself from the affection, so David hugged him harder. After some of that horrible feeling lifted from his heart from the short hug, he stood up. He had no place for Max to sleep just yet except the couch, but he did have a small room that he had recently only been using for storage. If he could clear it out, he could give Max his own space until they sorted out...whatever it was they were sorting out. “Do you mind sleeping on the couch for now? I swear it's comfortable.” He pressed on the fluffy cushions. “No one sits on it much. I can get you blankets, too, if you need them, and I can get you spare pajamas, too. Do you need a toothbrush? A place to put your stuff? Give me time and I'll-”

 

“It's fine, David. I have what I need.”

 

David nodded with a light smile. “Okay! I was just about to fix dinner, so get yourself comfy and I'll start making the spaghetti.” He gave him a thumbs up and headed to the kitchen.

 

The whole time David was making the spaghetti, he kept an eye on Max, who really wasn't doing anything. It was strange, seeing him in this state. He'd never seen him as vulnerable. Sure, he was a kid, but he was one who could stand up to anyone and anything. Now he was...17 years old. He had to count the years in his head, but he was sure of it. 17.

 

After dinner was made, David set the table for the both of them, hoping to do anything to lift Max's mood. He called the boy over and they both sat down to eat. Max was almost completely silent as he ate and kept glancing up at David. After the third glance he seemed to notice David was practically staring at him because he frowned at him.

 

“What? What are you staring at?” He snapped, twisting his fork more intensely in his spaghetti.

 

“Are you okay?” Max gave him a look that screamed, 'Are you shitting me?' which was probably a fair reaction, but David wanted to ask, wanted to hear what he had say.

 

“What the fuck kind of question is that?”

 

“I just mean...well, did this just happen? Do you need to talk about it?”

 

Max sighed deeply and dropped his fork. “Listen, after this, I'm not telling you shit, so don't ask me about it again, alright?” When David nodded, he continued. “I was kicked out right when I came home from work.”

 

“You have a job?” Max gave him a look and David reeled back. “Sorry.”

 

“I **had** a job,” he clarified without further explanation. “Anyways, I grabbed some of my stuff in a bag and left. Spent the past three hours looking for anywhere else to be. I didn't have enough money on me to stay at a motel, but then I saw some apartments and thought, 'hey, who's one of the only other people I know that lives around here?' Right, David.” Max said it with some level of disgust that David tried not to take offense to. “So after spending three hours walking aimlessly around town, I took another hour getting here. I figured if you didn't want me to stay, I'd just fuck off somewhere else. I'd make it either way.”

 

David had several questions, most of which he knew Max wouldn't answer and as badly as he wanted to ask them, he settled on a less sensitive question. “How did you know where I live?”

 

“You don't remember?” He asked. “The bar.”

 

“Ohhh...” Right, the bar. He only asked because he hadn't thought Max would have remembered from that incident.

 

It happened two years ago. It'd been nearly six years since he started his teaching job and David was still a sixth grade teacher at the same school. He didn’t mind. In fact, he loved it. Every opportunity he could to teach and help these kids was a good one. He often thought about how his past students were doing. The oldest of them would be halfway through high school, already planning out what they would be doing once they graduated. He really hadn’t been teaching for that long. He knew other teachers who’d been doing their job for over twenty years and that number amazed him. He dreamed of hitting those numbers himself. It was his passion. He could only imagine what wonderful things his past students would get up to when they were older. He would love to see them ten years later, at a peak in their life, smiling with all the joy in the world. It would be so wonderful and nostalgic.

 

He never would have guessed his first nostalgic interaction would be him finding his former, underage, student wasted at a bar. At first he was questioning whether or not it was even Max, but the more he looked, the more he was sure. The kid’s face hadn’t changed much. He was definitely older, about 15, and there was something different about him, but his most prominent features were the same. How Max was allowed in to begin with was his very least concern as he watched the boy slumped over in a chair with five empty shot glasses in front of him and a man that seemed to be in his 30s much too close for comfort.

 

David walked over quickly after setting down his own drink and did the first thing that came to mind. He grabbed Max by the arm and pulled him out of his seat. His plan had been to help Max outside and then introduce himself, but instead Max, understandably, reacted poorly to being grabbed by a stranger and pushed him away.

 

“What the fu-” Max started to yell, but stopped to press his hand against his stomach. He must have drank too much.

 

“Max, it’s me! Your old teacher. Remember?” He asked, hopefully.

 

Max didn’t take very long to look up at him and see his face. “Fuck,” he groaned. “David.” For some reason he never called him by his last name, but he didn't let it bother him.

 

David smiled at that and then realized that he should probably be doing something else. Right. “You shouldn’t be here. Come on. Let’s go, Max.” Before he could start walking away, the very intimidating man who was beside Max stood up, probably to try to scare David off, so he'd get more time with Max. He looked at him with a rather menacing look, so, before the man could even speak, David grabbed Max's hand and ran out of the bar as fast as he could.

 

Once they were far enough away, David stopped and panted, his hands on his knees. He was not as athletic as he used to be. After regaining his breath, he stood upright and looked to Max. “Let me take you h-” He stopped midway and, on instinct, reached out to grab Max, who had fallen slump against his side, resting his head on David. The boy was barely holding himself up, on the verge of sleep. “Max. Where do you live? I need to take you home.” He poked him on the cheek to try to wake him, but no matter how much he poked or shook him, he wouldn't budge from his side. David kept Max steady as he picked him up on his back. Unable to get an answer out of the, now sleeping, boy on his back, he put him in his car and took him back to his apartment.

 

David laid Max on the couch, covered him with a blanket, and went to sleep himself. When he woke up the next morning, Max was already gone. That was the last time he'd seen him until he came knocking on his door. Afterwards, he'd tried to contact Max's parents to make sure he was alright. He still had the number memorized from all the times he'd tried contacting them back when Max was his student. He was never able to get a hold of them, not even then, so he convinced himself that Max was okay and that was that. He hadn't expected Max to remember which apartment he lived in or even what street.

 

Now, sitting across from Max at his dinner table, he thought about how strange it was to see him in his house again. At least this time he wasn't drunk.

 

“I remember,” David said, the event playing over in his head.

 

“Then stop asking stupid questions.” Max continued eating again, their conversation clearly over. Though Max being hostile was normal, David wasn’t sure it was a good thing that he hadn’t seemed to change much. Thinking back, he realized what pain the boy must have been in when he was younger and even now.

 

David watched Max eat, his eyes beginning to fill with tears. He couldn’t help but feel he could have helped him sooner if only he’d listened to him. He felt like he’d let Max down.

 

“Oh, Christ. Why are you crying?” Max spoke with food in his mouth, his eyes narrowed.

 

David shook his head and wiped away at the forming tears. “It’s just nice to see you again. You were one of my favorite students.” Well, he loved all his students, but Max sure was impressionable.

 

Max snorted. “Yeah, sure.”

 

“No, really! You may not have been the most well-behaved, but you paid attention in class and did your work when it mattered.” David could remember how shocked he was when he graded the first tests. He always listened, in his own way. He looked at Max with a smile. “You were a great student, Max.”

 

Max’s eyes stayed on his food as he tapped at it with his fork in thought. He glanced up at David for a moment and then ducked his head down. “I’m done eating. I’m gonna go to the bathroom,” he mumbled, getting up from his seat.

 

While he waited for Max to come back from the bathroom, David finished eating, cleaned the dishes, and put away the leftover food. The whole time, he was thinking about what him and Max could do together. It was the first time he’d genuinely seen him and talked to him in so long and, though the circumstances weren’t exactly great, he couldn’t wait to get to know him in the time they had with each other.

 

David heard the bathroom door open and prepared himself to ask Max if he wanted to watch a movie or play a game. Before he could ask, Max pulled up the hood of his sweatshirt and headed straight for the door.

 

“Wait, Max. Where are you going?” He could hear the sadness in his own voice.

 

Max simply said, “For a walk,” and then walked out the door.

 

Almost as quickly as Max walked out the door, David perked up again. This was a good excuse for him to get an early start cleaning the spare room! It was across the hall from his own bedroom and once served as a room for his hobbies until he realized it might not be the best idea to light a campfire indoors. He had lot of random stuff in that room now, as it was mostly storage, and he had no idea where he was going to put it all, but with a little self-motivation, he knew he could get through it.

 

David must have spent at least two hours straight cleaning out the room. He left the dresser in there, but besides that, everything else went either into his own bedroom or the trash. He didn't have the heart to throw most of the stuff out, though, so into his room they went. He then vacuumed and made the room look nice and tidy. The only problem was, he didn't have a bed to put in the room, so he knew he'd have to go shopping later to pick up a blow up mattress, probably the most affordable thing he could get.

 

David looked at the time once the room was spotless and realized just how late it was. It was almost 9 and he liked to get in bed by 10, at the very least, even if he didn't have to work because it was summer. He took a quick shower and then hopped on the couch to watch some TV to wind down before bed. It was a few minutes before 10 when Max came home. David greeted him with a smile.

 

“Hey, Max!” He turned off the TV and stood up from the couch. “I'll be heading to bed soon. You're free to do what you want.”

 

“I'll probably take a shower,” Max said, tossing his hoodie onto the couch and reaching for his duffle to take out some clothes.

 

“Do you need help?”

 

Max looked up from his bag and gave David a look. “Pervert.”

 

David's eyes widened. “No, that's not what I meant!” He followed Max as he walked down the hall, trying to explain himself. “I just meant sometimes showering in a stranger's houses can be scary because their shower works differently!”

 

“Mmm hmm. Sure, David.” Max walked into the bathroom and closed the door, locking it with an audible clicking sound. David was worried that Max really misunderstood his intentions and would think less of him, but then he heard a chuckle from the other side of the door and smiled.

 

David decided Max would be okay on his own and went to his room to sleep. He got comfortable in his bed and was ready to turn off the light to sleep when he heard a faint knock at his door.

 

“David.” Max called. “I need...just come here.”

 

David got out of bed and opened the door. Max wasn't standing there, so he went to the bathroom instead, where Max was standing with a towel around his waist. “Yes?”

 

“I can't figure it out.” Max huffed, his arms crossed.

 

David tilted his head, confused for only a second before he realized what Max meant. “Ah ha! I told you it might be tricky.” He went over to the shower to turn it on and maneuvered one of the pieces that was a little janky and he hadn't fixed yet. He tested the water temperature to make sure it was at a reasonable temperature and then stood back with his hands on his hips. “Voilà! If you need to make it hotter or colder just use this lever here,” he said, pointing.

 

Max nodded, his arms still crossed. “I won't bother you again.”

 

David grinned, knowing that was as close to a 'thank you' as he'd get. He put his hand on Max's head and ruffled his hair. “You're welcome.” He saw Max's cheeks turn a light pink, which he concluded was from the cold of being half naked. “Alright, I'm gonna let you shower! I'm heading to bed. Goodnight, Max!” As he turned to leave the room, he heard a quiet, “Goodnight, David,” and couldn't be happier that they were starting off on the right foot.

 


End file.
